As part of The Nth Degree wine program, Winemaker Karl Wente and his uncle Phil Wente select the vine rows and often the individual vines that show the most promise. Every vine receives at least fifteen passes by vineyard workers to prune, pull leaves, remove shoots, and thin clusters in an effort to ensure that the grape clusters remaining at harvest are of the highest quality. The vineyard blocks are meticulously farmed, handpicked, sorted and brought to the new small lot winery Karl helped create at the family's estate winery facility. In this micro winery, the work is done by hand and Karl oversees every step of the process. Thirty one-ton fermenters enable Karl to vinify small quantities of grapes, with a focus both on quality and experimentation. The wines are aged in different types of oak from several coopers. After aging, Karl blends the best of the barrels together and bottles them in small batches.

"The Nth Degree vintages require careful treatment from vineyard to barrel because the lots are typically quite small and must be kept separate until blending," says Karl. "We make every effort to express the distinctive vineyard and varietal characteristics of each wine." Exacting and unrelenting in his approach, Karl plans to take his winemaking to "The Nth degree."